How to Prune and Propagate a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

November 2, 2017

Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees (and bushes) are still all the rage in home decor. Their large green leaves add a lot of life to indoor spaces, and they tend to do well with minimal care. Find a groove that works for your fiddle leaf, and you’re sure to raise a healthy plant. Do you know what healthy plants do? They grow, and they grow, and they grow. Eventually, they need pruning.

Pruning an expensive plant is nerve racking. I got my fiddle leaf (FLF) for my birthday last year, so the thought of cutting off its long beautiful limbs made me almost sick to my stomach. Eventually, my husband pretty much demanded I do something about the limb that was leaning over his favorite whisky drinking chair and I gave in.

Pruning Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree or Bush

In my mind, I prepared for the worst. I knew that there was a chance I’d cut off the branch and majorly regret it. I also knew that if I left the brand intact, my entire tree was in danger. This branch had gotten so long and full of healthy leaves that it was putting a real strain on the main stem.

I decided I would cut the branch off at the fork and do my best to propagate as many cuttings as I could from it. I took a sharp pair of gardening shears and I cut just above a node close to the base of the branch.

Time stood still for a minute and I mourned the loss of my Fiddle Leaf Fig as I knew it. Then, I went to town on propagation.

Propagating Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree or Bush

I took the large branch and sectioned it into smaller cuttings for propagating, making sure there was stem and a leaf on each cutting. When I cut, I made sure to cut right around a node. In the end, I think I had 7 or 8 cuttings. I wanted to see which method worked better for me: water propagation or soil propagation. Unfortunately, my experiment didn’t quite yield and answer, but more on that in a bit.

Propagating Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees in Water

The number one requested way of propagating fiddle leaves on the internet was by water. Find a vase, stick in the leaf or stem and – viola! – roots. I read that water propagation was supposedly easiest, so I decided to put most of my cuttings in water.

I placed cuttings in several different vases and left them there to do their thing for about 6 weeks, checking water levels and refilling the vases with water when the ends of the cuttings were no longer submerged.

During the second week, I noticed that several of the water cuttings were turning brown and rotting. The stems in water were also starting to grow white fuzz (mold?). I read that this can happen, so I just stuck with it.

Unfortunately, only one cutting survived and I have some theories as to why. The cutting that survived and sprouted several BEAUTIFUL roots in water had a wide mouth vase all to itself. I think this allowed air to have contact with the surface of the water and the cutting never felt crowded.

My other water cuttings were in narrow vases with at least one other cutting to share the space. These cuttings grew the fuzz and the leaves turned brown first.

Propagating Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees in Soil

I stuck one cutting directly in damp soil. First, I took a small pot with some soil in it and literally stuck the stem in. I kept watering the soil as it dried out. Eventually, the large leaf on the soil cutting dried up and fell off. Not knowing what was happening underneath, I kept watering the bare stem. I wish I could give you more information, but I’m still testing this to see if anything will come of it. 10+ weeks and I’m STILL waiting.

Transferring Propagated Cuttings from Water to Soil

But alas, 6 weeks in and I knew I had one cutting with really gorgeous roots. I added soil to a 6″ pot and dug a hole about 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Then, I placed the cutting into the hole and carefully brushed soil into the hole, securing the cutting in place. I drenched the soil with water and crossed my fingers.

It’s been about 4 weeks since I transferred the cutting from water to soil and so far, so good. The leaf is still healthy and green and I’ve done well to keep the soil moist. Around the beginning of the 4th week, I noticed a very small sprout and a white root on the surface at the edge of the pot. I carefully raked some soil over to cover the root and I left the little sprout alone to do its thing. If it turns out that it’s a weed, I’ll know and pluck it soon, but I didn’t want to pluck a tiny fiddle leaf fig from the soil!

About 10 weeks after I pruned my fiddle leaf, I saw the beginnings of a leaf at the pruning site – then another, and another, and another! There are 4 leaves sprouting right there where I made the cut several months ago. I couldn’t be more proud and I know that cutting the branch back made my fiddle leaf fig tree much more stable and able to carry the weight of new growth.

Houseplants not only add beautiful texture to your home, they also improve the quality of the air you breathe! Never pass up the opportunity to better your home with a plant… and if you have questions, I’m always here!

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Comments

Okay this is really good to know. I had to cut mine about 6 months ago because it was doing the same thing. It is once again growing much faster on a side so I’ll need to cut it again probably when we get back to Seattle (a friend is caring for it….I didn’t dare try to move a 7′ tree down here….my fiddle shrub didn’t fare so well on the journey). I hope I can make this work as well!

My treasured fiddle-leaf plant needs the same treatment..why do they grow this way? and I’ve even got a bamboo stick supporting its centre?..
I’m cutting as soon as I finish this message, and keeping my (green) fingers crossed!?Thank you for your informative info with detailed pics….

I’m glad to know that it can continue to grow from the pruning site. My fiddle lead has no branches because I’ve pruned them off almost instantly when they sprout hoping to encourage the trunk to grow stronger. However, it has doubled in height in the 7 months that I’ve had it and I do not have high Ceilings. I’m hoping to be able to prune the top!

I’m so glad I found this post! I propagated two fiddle leaves from my sisters’ plant last March and both rooted! I planted them in soil last summer and one died while we were away on Christmas break this past Christmas but one is still alive and well but with no more leaves sprouting! I don’t know how to encourage leaf growth! 🙁 Do you?

Worked up the nerve to give mine a trim after watching Hilton Carter’s InstaStories and reading your tips. Felt like I was cutting off my own toe!! I might cry if things don’t work out like I’m hoping. Gave her a little boost of fertilizer with this watering to promote extra growth. Fingers crossed!

Love this post. Thanks for sharing your babies with us. I have 4 individual leaves rooted in water. Can you give me an update on the leaf you propagated and planted in soil? I think im ready to put them in soil. How moist should i keep the soil? Did you see growth and if so where did you see the growth. Im thirsting for knowledge and looking for direction.
Thank you.
KCC

My propagated FLF is doing FANTASTIC. It’s since grown 2 new leaves which came up as new shoots out of the top of the cut (if that makes sense). I keep it fairly moist – much more moist than I keep my full FLF. I hope this helps!

My FLF, Sven, has grown about 4 ft since I bought him…one trunk. ..reaching the ceiling, happy and beautiful. He’s similar to a lanky teen. I’m nervous about trimming! Will he topple over if I don’t take some height off?

Well, I am indeed about to give this a try. My Fiddle Leaf Fig, purchased from Ikea three years ago has grown to near the top of the vaulted ceiling! From 2 feet to 12 feet. I am going to need to prune it soon and certainly wouldn’t have thought of propagating new plants. With hope I’ll have several to share. Thanks.

I have been putting off pruning for six months. After reading the posts, tomorrow is the day!
The trunk of my fig is thick and flaky. Is this normal? It’s about eight feet tall with long arms tied up. I feel like a failure. Crossing my fingers for success.

Sven has reached 8 ft….I’ll take some height off the top. He’s very happy…I’d love for him to branch out though. ..hope! I also have a Sven Jr….took some leaves, placed in water, big roots growing, ,yayy.

Hey there! I am really new to houseplants and fiddle leaf bags, so this might be kind of a silly question. I would like to encourage some branches on my tree by notching, but I am not sure what a node is. Can you clarify?

My FLF is rather full at the base. I’ve seen so many where the fullness is more at the top. Is there a “normal?” Should I be glad it’s full at the bottom? Or should I look to try to prune it so that there is less “energy” being spent on supporting the leaves at the bottom? I think I would like it to gain some height, so I just want to figure out if there’s a way to encourage more growth out of the top.

I do see some new leaves coming in from time to time, so it is a healthy, growing plant. I’ve only had him for about a month.

Yay for new leaves! From my understanding, FLFs can grow as a bush or a tree – just personal preference! Mine is now growing leaves at the bottom. I’m just letting it do it’s thing. If I cared much about the shape I may prune it. 🙂

Thank you for the photos and clear instructions! I had 3 Fiddle Leaf Fig trees in one pot for 5 years or so; they were about 4 feet tall, healthy and happy. When we moved last November, one of the three died; since I wasn’t ready to re-pot them (winter/dormant season, just moved), I kept watering as usual. In February, I noticed what I thought was a tiny dropped leaf. Nope! It was brand new growth from the base of the trunk that had died 4 months earlier. I kept watering as usual and re-potted all three (!) plants in mid-August into individual pots. The tiny baby plant is now 10″ tall and has about 9-10 beautiful, glossy leaves. I kept the original (dead) trunk attached and am using it as a support stake for the baby plant. This spring, both of the tall plants (about 5-6 feet tall now) will be pruned from the top. Fingers crossed for some good branching and propagation of the cuttings!

I have yet to try this with my fiddle leaf but I have successfully propagated several other plants. I once had a cutting in water that started to develop a white fuzz on the roots; it looked like a “sac”. I cleaned the vase, refilled the water and added 2-3 drops (just drops!) of hydrogen peroxide to keep everything sterile. I used the 3% hydrogen peroxide that I already had. I had read online that this would work but was still slightly nervous. In the end it worked perfectly! The mold never came back and my plant is still happily growing several months later (in soil now). The trick is to make sure you do a visual check every day to ensure that you do not allow any mold to grow in the water and if you see any to sterilize it quickly. Thanks for sharing your propagation efforts and best of luck to you in the future!